Records of the Office of the Registrar
Call Number
Dates
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for the integrity of academic policies, the student information system and student records from application to degree conferral. The office works to protect and preserve the academic records of New York University's students and to provide a framework for students to navigate the academic process. The Records of the Office of the Registrar consist of materials created and collected by the Office documenting student records and degree requirements. The majority of the collection consists of handwritten ledgers dating between 1832 and 1916. The collection also includes administrative memoranda and correspondence, ledgers and lists of enrolled students, sample diplomas and certificates, programs (including commencement programs), and materials documenting student military service. Some materials were created by employees of the New York College of Music, which merged with NYU in the middle of the 20th century.
Historical Note
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for the integrity of academic policies, the student information system and student records from application to degree conferral. The office works to protect and preserve the academic records of New York University's students and to provide a framework for students to navigate the academic process.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Scope and Contents
The Records of the Office of the Registrar consist of materials created and collected by the Office documenting student records and degree requirements. The majority of the collection consists of handwritten ledgers dating between 1832 and 1916. The majority of the ledgers track applications for admission, student matriculation, class rolls, grades, and citations for meritorious conduct. A scrapbook compiled by the college's first registrar, Leslie J. Tompkins, documents the construction of and repairs to several buildings on the Heights Campus; endowments, scholarships, and prizes granted to students; commencement and lecture programs; and annual reports from the Treasurer's and the Registrar's offices. One volume lists officers and platoons, possibly in an early campus security organization; roll calls and lists of officers sent on patrol; and entries documenting arrests. One volume consists of a letterbook, containing letters written by J. J. Stevenson as registrar and Pomeroy Ladue as secretary regarding admission, coursework, and commencement in the graduate school in the 1890s. The collection also includes administrative memoranda and correspondence, ledgers and lists of enrolled students, sample diplomas and certificates, programs (including commencement programs), and materials documenting student military service. Some materials were created by employees of the New York College of Music, which merged with NYU in the middle of the 20th century.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the Office of the Registrar are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the University Archives. Please contact university-archives@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Records of the Office of the Registrar; RG 12.4; box number; folder number; New York University Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
There is no documentation concerning the provenance of the ledgers housed in Boxes 1-18. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 90.020 and 2019.113. In January 2025, Tyrell Davis, Associate Registrar, transferred additional materials including correspondence, ledgers and lists, event programs, and sample diplomas and certificates. The accession number associated with this transfer is 2025.008.
Appraisal
35mm slides of images of the NYU campus taken by the Photo Bureau and graduation programs already in the Archives' holdings were appraised out of this accretion prior to acquisition.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2019 are unknown. In 2019 some of the materials were placed in new acid-free custom boxes.
In February 2025, an accretion of correspondence, ledgers and lists, event programs, and sample diplomas and certificates was rehoused in archival boxes and folders, and inventoried. On the advice of University Archivist Janet Bunde, materials housed in a damaged large-format binder were removed from the binder and rehoused in archival folders.